


Carol and The Avengers

by ImaginationReaper98



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Avengers: Endgame (Movie) Spoilers, Endgame, Exactly what the title says, F/F, Gen, Post-Endgame
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-27
Updated: 2019-05-01
Packaged: 2020-02-07 04:57:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,744
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18613615
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ImaginationReaper98/pseuds/ImaginationReaper98
Summary: She realizes with a slight pang that she can see why Nick trusted Carol.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hi, I'm still not over this movie. Hope you like this thing I made, whatever this is.
> 
> Endgame spoilers ahead.

.  
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**Tony**

 

Just when Tony thinks the universe has run out of oddballs to throw at him that would suprise him, the sun shows up literally right in front of his eyes but in the shape of a woman. She looks human, except she probably isn't because of all the glowing.

"I'm Carol Danvers, you probably don't know me--"

"You're the one Ronan has spoken about many times." Nebula says. "The bane of the Kree Empire."

"Yeah, I guess that's me. Anyway, I know Nick Fury. I came to Earth to help, but I was too late and half the people are gone." She turns to Tony. "Your team asked me to come get you home. They're waiting for you, Stark."

His _team_. He tries not to wonder how many of them are left now.

Carol Danvers, the sun in the shape of a woman, tells him that she'll carry their ship back to Earth. He isn't about to argue with someone who _glows_ like that.

 

* * *

 

  
**Natasha**

  
Carol Danvers rarely drops by on Earth, but it's already a big deal that she even still does. There's a whole universe out there in chaos and only one Carol. Nevertheless, Nat is selfishly grateful for her dropbys, especially during the first couple of years when the world wasn't quite so stable yet and she was really good at putting a stop to large scale disorders. Nat likes her. Danvers is all fire and no-nonsense, but she also has the look of someone who can charm your socks off if she wanted to.

She realizes with a slight pang that she can see why Nick trusted Carol. She tries not to imagine how it would be like if he was around to introduce her to the team himself.

"Noticed you got a new haircut." Nat says. She's been trying to say that since Carol landed on their front lawn. Some former arms dealer was threatening to massacre the entire North American civilization (or what's left of it) for reasons unknown and they had to get there immediately, so Nat reserved the comment until the situation was handled.

Carol beams at her as she carefully drops the tank that she had split in half with her bare hands. "It was getting too long, and I never know what to do with it when it does. D'you like it?"

If Nat is being honest, it looks a lot more like a bold stylistic choice rather than a functional one. It complements her classically chiseled features very well (Yes, Nat is attracted to Carol, it's not like everyone else isn't).

"I do. Not that I hated that goldilocks look you had." Nat smirks.

"And I definitely don't hate the red." Carol tilts her head at her braid and Nat rolls her eyes.

Natasha can't help but think that these small moments, like Carol's lightheartedness or Steve's steady presence or Tony's care packages with charming little notes that have Morgan's doodles on them (even though she rarely sees Tony now), are what keeps Nat sane. Nat's barely floating, gets suffocated by everything more often than she'd like, and she knows she'd drown completely if these things were to be taken away from her too. So she holds on to them.

And because Nat's feeling a bit sentimental, she offers to make cheeseburgers just so Carol would stay for dinner. She does, and she eats half of the burgers. Nat smiles to herself and doesn't complain.

 

* * *

 

**Steve**

  
"Relax, Cap. That time machine's not gonna be done for a while so maybe loosen up a bit for now." is what Sam tells him, but even Steve can see through his friend's smile. Just like Steve, having spent those years with Nat having Sam's back wasn't going to soften the blow of losing her.

Steve nods, mirrors his grin, and clinks his glass with Sam's, but he merely looks on as Sam drags Bucky to the mini bar to fix him up with the strongest drink they've got.

Someone nudges Steve with their arm and he smiles when he sees Carol, half a pint of beer in hand. "Hey, Captain Rogers."

Steve nods. "Captain Danvers."

The thing with Danvers is that Steve feels comfortable around her, even though he doesn't really know her that well. Just enough to efficiently work together. To him, she's familiar territory, since she's not so different from the people he surrounded himself with before he got frozen.

Steve's tone is light when he says, "Are you also here to tell me not to mope in a corner all evening?"

"No, I was going to stop you." She raises an eyebrow as she looks up at him. "I'm going to talk to you so everyone who sees us will think you're this lady-killer who manages to charm me instead of an old man moping in a corner."

Steve laughed at that, and so does Carol. The image couldn't be so far from the truth.

"I think everyone has seen enough of you to never even have that cross their minds."

"What, 'cause I'm obviously gay as hell?" Carol raises her free hand. "Okay, sorry for leaving a strong impression on everyone, Rogers. It's not really something I can help."

They laugh again for a bit before the conversation lulls and they stand there in companionable silence. Danvers has every reason to celebrate, Steve thinks. Her reunion with Fury was warm and friendly, and she lights up, not in the way she does so very well in battle but just like everyone else does when meeting an old friend. Even Fury wasn't exempt from her teasing, and the way Nick just brushed them off and even seemed to enjoy every single one of Carol's snide comments made Steve wonder just how many layers of himself Fury has hidden from them. He also knows about the Rambeaus, the people who mattered to her in a way Bucky does to Steve, and that they were brought back from being dusted.

She's supposed to be joining the cheerful throng of people around them, but she's here standing with Steve and he can't help but wonder.

He eventually gets his answer when Carol speaks again. "I'm sorry about Nat and Stark." It's odd, hearing Danvers, who usually alternates from sounding determined to sounding playful, speaking so solemnly. She takes a swig from her beer and doesn't wait for a response.

 _Whatever it takes,_  their words echo in Steve's head again. _See you in a minute._

Steve looks down at his mostly empty glass of scotch, and then downs it in one go.

"I'm going to miss her dry cheeseburgers." Carol sounds wistful, her mouth turned up in a dim smile.

"Me too." Steve nods through the sudden spike of grief. Carol pats him on the back and it's a tiny gesture, but it helps.

"Thank you, Carol."

 

* * *

 

**Thor**

  
They were staying in Xandar for a while and Carol wants to meet up with them. She was in a nearby system and of course Thor is not opposed to perhaps having a drink with an acquaintance of theirs.

"Wait, we're going to meet the glowing lady?" says Quill, giddy as a child.

"Easy, there. She has a name and it's Danvers." Rocket tells him, pointing a wrench at Quill. "She saved our asses so show some respect."

"Since when did you learn to show respect?" Quill fires back.

"Since Groot and I were nearly toasted by Thanos' ship but then Danvers showed up and we're still here now, aren't we? So shut it."

"She has arrived." Nebula announces, looking up. Sure enough, when Thor cranes his head to look, he sees Carol descending from the sky, glowing as she does so. They got out of their ship to meet her.

"I am Groot." says the tree.

Thor offers him a comforting pat. "Of course she'll remember you, tree. Why wouldn't she?"

Carol lands on the ground, smiling at them and them alone as if oblivious (or uncaring) to the onlookers staring at her in awe, whispering amongst themselves. Most of the galaxy knows of them by now and how they triumphed against Thanos to restore the many lives that were lost. Everytime the word _Avengers_ is uttered now, it is either in admiration or fear. Although Carol elicits a more apparent reaction from the crowd than when Thor and his companions arrived just earlier that day.

"Carol Danvers! So good to see you." Thor bellows, arms wide open.

"Thor, you son of a gun." she greets back, accepting his proffered embrace.

She pulls away and briefly scrutinizes him from head to toe, eyes narrowing. "Is it just me or did you lose a lot of weight."

"Oh, you've noticed?" Thor chuckles heartily. "Turns out all it took for me to get back in shape was to gallivant around the cosmos more often."

"And do pull-ups until three in the morning every day." Nebula says dryly. Thor snorts, about to deny this falsehood entirely, until Danvers changes the subject and turns to Nebula.

"How's it going, Nebula?"

Nebula cocks her head. "Well enough for someone trying to wrangle these imbeciles."

Rocket looks up at her. "Hey!"

"Rocket is not included in that classification." Nebula adds, prompting a sound of approval from Rocket and incredulous stares from some of the others.

Carol seems amused. "You lot truly are something, aren't you."

Quill, who has been uncharacteristically quiet until now, clears his throat. "Well, we _are_ the Guardians of the Galaxy after all, ma'am."

" _Ma'am_?" Carol frowns and grins at the same time. "I've never been called that since... ever."

Drax laughs like a crazed man, and Quill blanches a bit, cheeks pink in embarassment.

"Really, Quill?" Rocket says to him, also laughing."

"You were the one who said to show some _respect_!"

"I am Groot."

Drax laughs harder and Quill reddens a bit more. "Shut up, Drax."

Carol witnesses the exchange with a slightly bemused look, shakes her head, then glances at both Nebula and Mantis. "You guys want to go grab a drink?"

"Yes, please." Mantis replies.

The others fail to notice them as they begin to leave. Thor offers to be their guide, though Nebula ends up being the one leading them in the right direction instead of him, anyway.

 

* * *

 

**Clint**

  
Everyone except Laura and Wanda actually thought he was going to retire for good, but of course he didn't.

Besides, he's got a bigger reason to get back. He'll honor Nat's sacrifice by doing his job.

"Well, you were always one of my best agents." Fury says to him. "Just don't let that get into your head."

Clint gives him a mock salute.

His experience going to space makes him qualified for off-world missions, not that there's a lot of those, and he's often paired up with an Asgardian kid as his pilot. Of course these missions don't actually include taking down galactical threats, that's way past his level of expertise. These missions are simple enough, including this current one which literally is a pick up except it's seen as a bigger deal because they go to space. Humans are still not entirely used to the idea.

Clint meets Danvers in their rendezvous point. This time, it was at a tarmac in a tropical planet with a name he can't pronounce.

"Danvers, what d'you got for me this time?"

"It's nice to see you too, Clint." She points to several metal crates behind her. "And those, my friend, are my birthday gifts for Fury."

"Seriously?" Clint says and stares at her, unbelieving. "We wasted fuel for this?"

"Yes, and those can help make create renewable energy for Earth so you can begin catching up with the rest of the galaxy now that you're officially celebrities."

Clint shrugs. "I guess that makes sense."

 

* * *

 

**Bruce**

  
Only a few years with Valkyrie being officially in charge of New Asgard and the place already looks different from the mere little fishing town it used to be the last time Bruce was here. Well, it still is a fishing town, but they've expanded in a few areas now. The Asgardian population has a few craftspeople and tech geniuses well-versed in alien technology and Valkyrie allowed them to really flourish in their fields rather than be stuck in a fishing vessel all day.

In fact, the main reason of Bruce's visit is the opening of the New Asgard-stationed Wakandan Science and Technology facility (a project made possible thanks to Valkyrie's diplomatic visit to Wakanda a while back). Once that was over, Bruce decided to stay for some time. It's developed a sort of quaint charm now and he likes some peace and quiet.

Also, Carol Danvers is here somehow, and Bruce seems to be the only one wondering why this is so.

"It was my kid's birthday, you know Monica Rambeau?"

Bruce nods. "Yeah, Fury's wunderkind."

"So I was home for a week for that, then I came by here to stay for another week, at least that's the plan." Carol explains to him when he asks right exactly when he sees her, and in Valkyrie's kitchen of all places.

"Yeah, but I definitely didn't remember ever seeing you cozying up with these Asgardians before."

Carol just shrugs as she hands him a mug of coffee despite him not having asked her for it, though he actually was about to get one for himself. "They know me enough, Bruce. Besides, I was visiting Brunnhilde."

 _Oh. So that's been going on now._ Bruce suddenly remembers the two of them in various post-battle victory parties a few years back. Bruce didn't pry, instead he asks about what she's been up to job-wise and she tells him that it's been more of the same, more thugs to blast and more innocent people to help, but things have been uneventful in a good way which is why she can even afford taking a break this long.

"I guess the guardians are helping carry the load a bit, since we work closely these days. That reminds me." Carol leans her elbows on the kitchen counter. "Thor said hello."

"Oh, just hello? That bastard." Bruce shakes his head fondly. "Tell him to not forget we exist and visit every once in a while."

They hear the front door open and a voice calling out from the living room. "Hey babe, what do you think-- Oh, Bruce. You're here."

"Hey, Valkyrie. The door was open so I just let my myself in."

She stares at him blankly, then her eyes move to Carol, who just shrugs, then turns back to Bruce.

"The folks at the science facility have been looking for you. Princess Shuri just told me she's on her way and the tech people are panicking."

"I'm on it." Bruce is up in an instant. "Thanks for the coffee, Carol."

"No problem."

 


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The world has rebuilt itself, and so has the Avengers. Carol is around more often than not.

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**Sam**

  
Sam hasn't even reached Valkyrie before Carol's stare meets his from across the hall. There's an edge of challenge to it, taunting. Typical Danvers, really. He swerves and crosses over to Carol instead.

"Relax, Danvers. I was just going to ask about that UN meeting she went to." Sam says by way of greeting. "I heard she pissed off some big wigs. That's gonna cause some problems, you know."

Carol rolls her eyes at him like she isn't too old to do that kind of thing. "God, Wilson. Ever since Rogers gave you that damn shield, you've become so uptight."

Sam laughs. "We barely knew each other before that."

"Sam, I saw you get drunk and lead a dance circle with Scott Lang during a victory party. I knew enough."

Sam can barely remember ever doing that, and that's probably for the best. "No, but really, those assholes have a lot of say in how the world works and they could get back at her and New Asgard in one way or another. They're petty like that."

Carol leans back in her chair, unperturbed. "Nah, Wakanda's got her back, and Brunnhilde's more calculating than you think. She knows no one will mess with them when they're the world's leading source of space travel brainpower."

Sam shrugs. She's got a point.

Danvers really _likes_  winning, even small conversational arguments about politics.

The new Avengers headquarters' launch party is a casual affair. His whole team is there, some of the staff, and a few guests like Danvers. As far as Sam is concerned, she's a member of the team and the only thing that keeps it from being official is that she's just going in and out, always off doing her thing out there on some crazy planet and then coming back whenever she can. But Earth is Carol's home, Sam thinks. She's got a family here. Not to mention that thing going on between her and Valkyrie, whatever it is.

Having Carol Danvers on call helps with the job, and Sam can admit to feeling a lot less anxious about intergalactic threats because of her. Earth went from being easy targets that aliens rarely waste their time with to being the home of the race who kicked Thanos' ass. Another space warlord could come a-knocking to challenge that reputation is what he fears. But they've got Wakandans, a few Asgardians, and Danvers herself. Not to mention the team Sam's assembled.

"About that dance circle." Carol's got that look again, like she's about to challenge him into an arm wrestle. "Why don't you start one, things are getting pretty mellow around here."

"Not a chance."

"What, not drunk enough for that yet?" She smirks and Sam swears it's the devil he's staring at, a blonde-haired and snarky one. "Val's got something stronger than whatever passes for booze around here."

Sam shakes his head, a trace of fondness in there that he can't help. "You're a pain in the ass, Danvers." _A welcome one, though_ , he thinks. _But still a pain_.

"So I've been told."

 

* * *

 

**Wanda**

  
Healing is always a slow process, but it's different from when she was a young woman who lost her twin brother, the only family she had left. The pain of losing Pietro had been searing, branded into her chest to follow her to the grave. And when Wanda lost Vision, she mourned the idea of what could have been.

Wanda had been alone when she lost Pietro, but this time her friends knocked on her door and she went out to join them, her _family_ now, and they all tried to keep her standing upright. She grieved and healed with them by her side, and they try to honor the memory of the ones they had lost.

Some years later, she's in New York. She's everywhere these days. Nick Fury and Maria Hill handles the Avengers. Wanda still has her _family._  She stays in Clint's farm for long periods. Sam and Barnes treat her more like a younger sister than a friend, always checking in on her or annoy her when they can. The three of them would visit Steve sometimes, but it hurts Wanda to see him so old and frail despite the warmth of a life fully lived in his quaint little home.

And now she's in New York after Nick Fury requests her presence. She assumes it's for a mission.

There's a woman in Fury's office and it takes Wanda a moment to recognize her. Carol Danvers sits comfortably on the couch, leisurely petting a cat that rests beside her.

"We've met before." the other woman says to her. Carol stands and extends her hand anyway and Wanda takes it.

She's confused whether Carol Danvers reminds her of Steve or Nat. Wanda settles for both when Carol's eyes are friendly like Cap's and her mouth quirks up like Natasha used to do.

Wanda swallows that sudden lump down.

Fury stands up from his chair, looking at them from behind his desk. "What do you think about space travel, Maximoff?"

Wanda frowns slightly at that. It's an odd question to ask, especially in greeting. She's heard of Clint's space missions before, he's told her about those, but nothing that would entice her.

"I don't think much of it, no." Wanda glances at Carol. "But it couldn't be that bad?"

Carol chuckles. "It gets weird out there, so it's always interesting."

"Why exactly are we talking about this?"

"Carol here needs an assist," says Fury, "we hoped you might be interested."

"We're dealing with folks that can mess with people's heads." Carol inclines her head. "Can't really blast through that."

Carol Danvers is a stranger to her, but the echoes of friends lost in her grinning face makes Wanda want to follow the woman. It's an idealistic notion, but Wanda's youth hasn't completely left her as much as she had thought.

Besides, she can still remember fighting by Carol's side once.

She doesn't think twice when she says, "When do we start?"

( _A week later, a creature shrouded in darkness attempts to rip their minds apart but Wanda is stronger, and she managea to make it draw back for a second, giving Carol enough time to punch it senseless with her glowing fists._ )

 

* * *

 

  
**Shuri**

  
Monica Rambeau is as good as her word. When she told them she would tell her _Auntie Carol_ to visit Wakanda, she meant it.

Shuri thinks Carol's one of a handful of foreigners to ever receive a full Wakandan welcome. Shuri's people rarely forgets, and many of them saw Carol demolish Thanos' warship as she came down from the sky like a comet.

So yes, Wakanda is fond of Carol Danvers. Now it's down to Shuri to save her from T'Challa's boring notions of how to entertain their guests.

First stop, her cutting-edge laboratory.

"So this is where the magic happens." Carol says, her eyes skating around the place. "I'm impressed, kid."

Shuri's pretty used to compliments now, and she's keen on separating the hollow ones to gain her favor and the ones that aren't. Carol is upfront in her way so this time Shuri allows a swell of pride to rise up in her chest.

"You'd be crazy if you weren't. Anyway, we're not here for a science tour."

"We weren't?" Carol's brow quirks upwards.

"No, I've got better plans." Shuri grabs two blasters from her desk. Carol eyes them curiously.

Shuri tosses her the one and she catches it. Carol grips it in her hand, testing its weight and examining it critically. When she glances up at Shuri again, her eyes are alight with humor.

"I should've pegged you as a Star Wars fan."

Shuri chuckles. She's not about to tell her that her blasters looking like replicas of Han Solo's in Return of the Jedi is a complete coincidence. "For the record, western pop culture aren't near as good as our own stuff. "

"I wouldn't assume otherwise."

"Anyway, these are just prototypes and I thought who better to test them than Carol Danvers herself?" Shuri's smug smirk turns into a teasing one. "And Maria Rambeau told me Star Wars is a guilty pleasure of yours last time I called for advice on how to properly welcome you."

Carol's grinning so wide, her face crinkles. "She wasn't supposed to tell you that, but at least that got me this."

"One would think that after years in space would root out your childhood fascination to sci-fi." Shuri teases.

This time, Carol's smile softens briefly. "Trust me, it never leaves you." 

They make their way towards the weapons testing area, where Shuri has set up a simulation where they get to blast stormtroopers. They spend the whole afternoon there and if someone ever asks Shuri about Carol Danvers, she can confidently say that she's not only _'I can blast through massive alien warships'_ cool. She's also pretty cool by herself minus all the glowing.

( _When Carol's visit is over and she leaves for New Asgard for a final stop before heading off-world, Shuri hints at testing lightsaber-inspired prototypes and Carol's eyes actually glint_.)

 

* * *

 

 

**Peter**

  
"I swear to god, the media is so hell-bent on painting Carol Danvers as a heterosexual." MJ says, frowing at her phone and not looking up. They were having dinner at Peter's living room eating pizza on a warm summer evening, not because they're stereotypically american, but Ned was supposed to cook Filipino food for them but he forgot to bring the ingredients with him, which is unfortunate. Peter was craving some _adobo_.

"How do you even know that she isn't?" asks Ned.

MJ finally glances up, shooting Ned a very dry look. "I know for a fact that she's dating the Valkyrie."

"Whoa... Really? Who told you that?" Ned's eyes darts to Peter. "You knew, didn't you?"

"Yes. I mean, kind of. But--"

"And you told MJ and didn't think to tell me too? This is like the best thing I've ever heard!" Ned looks legitimately disappointed at him. "I thought you knew me Pete."

"I thought it was a secret!" Peter insists. "I just saw them at the launch party last year and they looked like they were a couple. I didn't even know MJ knew." Peter looks at her this time. "How _did_ you know?"

"Shuri." She shrugs, as if that explains everything.

If Pete was actually petty, he would've regretted introducing her to the princess. They get on like a house on fire and he gets left out sometimes. Though in reality he's got no issues about it. He's a softy and seeing them grow close makes him feel warm and fuzzy inside. He's never seen MJ engage in a meaningful female friendship before, at least not as much as this one.

"Anyway, there's a bunch of paparazzi pictures of Carol and Nick Fury and huge publications are actually making it seem like they're married. They sound like a freaking tabloid." MJ tells them. They're used to her usual diatribes and this one's pretty mild. "Whatever happened to journalism?"

Peter lost track of what MJ says when she mentioned paparazzi pictures of Carol, which means she's on Earth, which means he finally can have a mission with her.

He tries not keep his hopes up for the entire time until he gets to report to Fury by the end of the week. Peter enjoys training with Carol when she's around, albeit how rare those sessions are, but he's been wanting to actually work with her. She's _Carol_ freaking _Danvers_ , who would't want to do Avengers stuff with her?

The week crawls on until finally friday arrives. Pete finishes his patrol and then reaches the Avengers base in record time. Carol is already in the atrium where they train, talking animatedly with Sam. They both glance up and smile when they see him.

"Hey, Parker." she calls out.

Peter's step almost falters. In all his excitement, he's forgotten how overwhelming it is to talk to _Captain Marvel_ herself (no one actually calls her that except Nick Fury, and he only said it once, teasingly, but it stuck with Peter's mind and it's kinda cool if you ask him).

"Uh, hello Captain Danvers."

Sam lets out a snort at that. Carol gives him a brief look and Sam bites back whatever he was about to say.

Carol turns to Peter again. "Last time I saw you, you were about to start your first year at MIT."

Peter smiles. "Yeah, it went well. King T'Challa actually offered for me to study in Wakanda, but then I wouldn't be able to do my patrols when I'm out there."  
  
"That's cute Parker, but stay in school." Sam teases.

Carol rolls her eyes and grins at Pete. "He's starting to sound like old man Rogers, isn't he."

That only made Sam laugh. "Ain't nothing wrong with that."

"Your aunt cool about you being here the entire weekend?" Carol asks Peter.

"Yeah, she is."

"Great, 'cause you'll be coming with us." She pauses just to quirk her mouth into something conspiratory. Peter tries to remember how to breathe, he's so freaking _giddy_. It's actually happening. "Simple recon mission. Though if we find something shady, we take it down. Could be fun."

"I--uh--Really?"

"You said last time that you want us to work together someday," says Carol. "I'm taking you up on the offer."

( _The mission_ was _simple. He gets to web up some bad guys and earns himself a 'great job, Parker' from Carol and yeah, it's one hell of a weekend for Peter._ )

**Author's Note:**

> Any feedback would be much appreciated. Or if you just want to scream or cry about Endgame, you can do that too.


End file.
